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The battle at the ministry was more grueling than Lottie thought it was going to be. As far as she could see there was only one pair that was still battling. Lottie watched as Sirius ducked Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her. Of course he was, that’s just how Sirius has always been.
“Come on, you can do better than that!” he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock.
Everything started moving in slow motion. Lottie saw as Harry released Neville. He was jumping down the steps again, pulling out his wand, as Dumbledore, too, turned towards the dais.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall: his body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backwards through the ragged veil hanging from the arch.
Lottie saw the fear mixed with surprise that riddled Sirius’s face, his face that was once handsome as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil type thing, which seemed to flutter for a moment as though it was caught in the wind, and then promptly fell back into place.
Lottie's hearing was muffled but she heard Bellatrix Lestrange’s triumphant scream, but it didn’t mean anything to Lottie. Her best friend, her brother, her co-godparent had just fallen through the archway in front of her. Surely he would appear on the other side any second, and call it one of his jokes like when they were back at Hogwarts. But the marauders never played jokes like that on one another.
But Sirius did not reappear.
Lottie slowly sank to her knees.
“SIRIUS!” she heard Harry yell. “SIRIUS!”
He had reached the floor, his breath coming in searing gasps. Harry must have thought that he could pull Sirius back because he reached for the veil. But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back.
“There's nothing you can do, Harry—”
“Get him, save him, he's only just gone through!”
Lottie had tears welling up in her eyes from watching someone else she loved die and hearing her godson desperately try and get his godfather back.
“—it's too late, Harry.”
“We can still reach him—” Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin
would not let go.
“There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone.”
The events that followed were pretty hazy in Lottie’s mind. She still couldn’t believe that Sirius was gone. Lottie was so out of it she barely remembered the ministry, finally believing that Voldemort was back, and she barely remembered the journey back to Hogwarts. She could barely remember any of it except the last look on Sirius’s face.
After the shock wore off all Lottie felt was anger. She hadn’t felt this angry since Sirius accidentally betrayed Remus’s trust by inadvertently telling Snape about his furry little problem. It had not been a good day for anyone within hearing distance then, and it probably wouldn’t be much better to whoever ends up on the receiving end today.
Instead of flying off her anger like she should have, Lottie marched up to Dumbledore's office.
“Ah Lottie,” Dumbledore said calmly. “I thought you might come to me tonight.”
Dumbledore could very well see that she was pissed. Lottie had looks that could kill. Even though she could have well been a slytherin she had been sorted into gryffindor all those years ago, but Dumbledore was starting to wonder if the sorting hat had been wrong in placing her.
Dumbledore didn’t voice any of this, seeing that Lottie was already mad, and it wouldn’t go over well if he said it.
“Lottie,” Dumbledore started. “I am very sorry for your loss. We will all miss Sirius—”
Lottie interrupted him and said through gritted teeth, “Take his name out of your fucking mouth. You don’t deserve to mourn him, if that’s what you are even doing.”
Lottie was known for cursing like a sailor, except for when she was with students when she tried to keep it more PG. Let it be known that it should shock no one that she wasn’t watching her language now, especially with pent up anger from the years doing all of the talking.
“I understand you are upset Lottie, but this is war. Deaths are to be expected. You should know that, especially since this isn’t your first war,” Dumbledore replied without flinching at her words.
His words made Lottie angrier. “We were only seventeen Albus! We didn’t know any fucking better! We didn’t know life outside of it!”
Lottie had been thinking long and hard about this, ever since Sirius had broken out of Azkaban and went into hiding. So at this point Lottie was seething in her anger.
“You chose to fight in this war Lottie,” Dumbledore replied.
“Because it’s all we knew.” Lottie was starting to yell now. “You allowed us to fight your stupid battle. Sirius is dead because of you.”
Lottie couldn’t fight Dumbledoredore like she wanted, using no magic, just a good old fist fight, so she had to settle for fighting with her words.
“I understand that he was your friend—”
“He was more than my friend. He was my brother!” Lottie was yelling now.
Lottie had been fighting in this war since she was seventeen, and all she had gotten out of it was losing her family. First was Marlene. Then it was James and Lily. She thought Peter was her friend, but he betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort. The latest was Sirius, and now all she had left was Remus and Harry.
“You knew for twelve fucking years that Sirius was innocent,” Lottie was almost to tears because of how angry she was. “You allowed him to go to Azkaban without a trial even though you knew that he was innocent. My godson lost his godfather today and none of this would have happened if it hadn't been for you!”
Dumbledore didn’t say anything, which almost made Lottie angrier.
“‘Help will always be given at Hogwarts’ you said,” Lottie says to Dumbledore no longer keeping her emotions in check. “What utter bullshit. You only chose to help those that you want to use as a pawn.”
Dumbledore opened his mouth to say something in response, but Lottie cut him off.
“Where was the help for me when I had to survive after watching my father be murdered and my mother basically leaving me for dead? Or for Sirius and Regulus growing up in an abusive home? Or when Regulus joined the death eaters and was actively trying to take down Voldemort by his fucking self, getting himself killed in the fucking process? What about the night that James and Lily were killed Albus? Where was the help when we all so fucking needed it?”
Lottie was about to turn around to storm out but she said one last thing to him, “I hope you know that the wizarding world lost a damn good wizard today, because of you. And I want you to know I will fight either until this war is over or till I’m dead, but you have lost all the respect I had for you.”
With that Lottie turned and stormed out the door. When she made it to the bottom of the stairs she saw Professor Mcgonagall standing there with the golden trio. Lottie immediately knew that they had heard everything, and some part of her was glad for it.
Lottie looked at Mcgonagall knowing that she held the trio back and kindly said to her, “Thank you Minnie.”
Mcgonagall nodded her head and gently put her hand on Lottie’s arm.
Lottie looked at the trio and says, “Come on you three.”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed Lottie to her office. Lottie didn’t let any of them speak till they see in her office where she put silencing charms in place so no one would hear their conversation.